Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, originally named Tenzin Gyatso, turned 75 today. To celebrate, The Independent Online has rummaged through the archives to provide you with a glimpse of the story so far of the life of the 14th Dalai Lama.

Dating back to the late 1930s when the spiritual leader was a mere child, the collection of photographs documents his early political activities and meetings with the then Chinese dictator Mao Tse-Tung, prior to the uprising of 1959 which resulted in the Dalai Lama's exile to India.

The images chart his relationship with India. They also look at his extensive travels, talks with heads of state and other religious figures. The snapshots also provide an insight into his humour and humanity - sticking a nasal spray up his nose during the Swine Flu frenzy, for example - of the man.